Students and staff at Morton East share their perspective on whether sports should be co-ed.  

According to Active Sports, coed teams create great social environment for kids and can counter the notion that females can’t be as competitive as their male counter parts. For children who haven’t hit puberty-which generally occurs between ages 10 and 12-coed leagues can be beneficial for both genders. Girls tend to be more pass-oriented, while boys usually focus more on their own success in a game. Coed teams can help both sides grow and adapt, giving children a wider set of skills as they move forward in their preferred sport. Therefore, bringing boys and girls together grants children a greater opportunity to discover a sport they enjoy and excel at, whether that be a girl playing football or a boy hitting the volleyball court. In a random survey of 100 Morton East students, a majority reported that sports teams should be co-ed. 

“It wasn’t fun for girls when it came to playing with the boys. It was much more fun for my daughter because the boys would never let her touch the ball. I believe the boys are just naturally more aggressive than the girls,” social science teacher Mr. Aaron Sweeny said. 

While some teachers at Morton East believe that sports teams should not be co-ed, other teachers like Miss. Lindsey Rymark disagreed. 

“I believe that sports should be co-ed so everyone is given the same opportunities and can develop teamwork and respect towards the other gender,” Special Education teacher Miss. Lindsey Rymark said. 

In addition, teachers believe that playing co-ed sports help develop skills, and have more opportunities, while other teachers like Ms. Sandoval agree. 

“We live in a time where people should not be separated into teams based on gender. Equal opportunities for all!” Special education teacher Ms. Sandoval said. 

Although teachers like Ms. Sandoval focus more on emotions, seniors at Morton East anticipate otherwise. 

“I do not think sports should be co-ed. I find myself more bounded with boys rather than girls,” Morton East senior Enrique Ramirez said. 

Therefore, students at Morton East seem to cope differently based off on the ways they get along with people, unlike senior Morton East student Jason Chirino believes differently. 

“I believe that sports should be co-ed because it allows there to be unity within the people who join the sport and does not at all focus on gender. It helps the team gain respect for one another and form friendships by working together. I also think that allowing there to be co-d sports gives teammates the chance to view every individual’s unique athletic skills/ability, in which can lead each person to learn from one another and work harder in perfecting the skills they lack on. In the end, both genders will be able to recognize the passion they share for that sport while promoting gender equality,” Morton East student Jason Chirino said.